Victor EzejaThe United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) has met with Nigerian stakeholders, agribusiness experts, importers and executives of local soybean processing and milling companies.
The meeting was to discuss agribusiness strategies aimed at improving Nigeria’s soybean value chain which is an important element of food security in Nigeria.
According to a statement from the public affairs section of the US Embassy, the move is in line with the U.S. Government’s quest to support initiatives that promote food safety, food security and agricultural development in Nigeria.
The reception hosted in Lagos provided an opportunity for U.S. agribusiness experts and their Nigerian counterparts to explore possible areas of collaboration in training and capacity-building programs to meet increased protein demand.
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Gerald Smith, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, noted that Nigeria and the United States enjoy a long-standing relationship in the agricultural sector.
Smith explained that the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Mission is committed to enhancing collaboration to enable Nigeria’s agribusiness industry to meet the country’s vision for nutrition and food safety.
He added that the Nigeria Soy Excellence Center supports Nigeria’s soybean value chain by enhancing the capacity of Nigerian enterprises in the soy-protein value chain.
“Our partnership to improve Nigeria’s soybean value chain is mutual and a win-win for the United States and Nigeria, especially as regards increase in production and ensuring that quality products are produced to meet demand,” Smith said.
USSEC Chairman, Doug Winter, in his remarks, reiterated the council’s commitment to supporting local efforts to increase Nigerians’ access to healthy and nutritional food.
Dr. Ayo Oduntan, Founder and Director, Amo Byng Nigeria Limited, a poultry feeds and concentrate-producing company, commended USSEC’s partnership with local agribusiness experts and its commitment to supporting sustainable solutions to achieving food security in Nigeria.
“This meeting reinforces the fact that we need each other to grow. Through our partnership, we can build a Nigeria, where we can enable nutrition and food security for families and communities in Nigeria,” Oduntan said.
USSEC is a non-profit US trade group representing US soybean producers, processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, allied agribusinesses, and agricultural organisations. The group’s main goal is building preference, improving the value, and enabling market access for the use of U.S. Soy for human consumption, aquaculture, and livestock feed in 82 countries across the world.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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